Pierre Jeanneret Upholstered Dining Chairs, Chandigarh, c.1958-59

Upholstered dining chairs by Pierre Jeanneret from the Chandigarh furniture program, circa 1958–1959, presented in burgundy hair-on-hide. Their compact teak frames combine upright rectangular backs, padded seats and splayed compass supports. Jeanneret developed furniture alongside the architecture of Chandigarh, the new city created in post-independence India. Seating was an essential part of its offices, educational establishments and residential interiors. His designs brought modernist composition into direct contact with local woodworking: substantial timber members, economical joints and repeated forms gave ordinary furnishings a distinct architectural presence. The resulting furniture was made to be used, and its character emerges from the way a relatively small number of structural elements organize the body, the supporting frame and the spaces between them. Each back is enclosed by a substantial timber frame that extends down to the rear seat rail. The seat projects slightly beyond the supporting legs, creating a clear horizontal line between the upright back and the angled base. In profile, the two broad members of each side support form an emphatic A-shaped silhouette. The deep burgundy covering adds a distinctive material layer to the chairs’ geometric construction. Hair-on-hide has variations in direction and surface tone that contrast with the exposed reddish-brown teak. Repetition across the photographed group makes the relationship of back, seat and compass supports especially clear, while differences in wood grain and surface wear preserve the character of the individual frames. The vintage teak retains variations in grain, color and surface wear, with softened edges and individual traces of use visible in the photographs. These details give the woodwork its material character and preserve the sense of a furnishing made for daily life in institutional or residential interiors. The present upholstery is a later treatment of the vintage structure. For related upholstered dining chairs, see Wright, Important Design, June 2021, lot 170. Dimensions: approximately 19.75 inches wide, 16.5 inches deep, 31.75 inches high. Seat height: 18 inches. Provenance: private collection, Chandigarh, India, as recorded by Studio Balestra. Accompanied by a Studio Balestra Certificate of Authenticity. Dimensions: 19.75"W x 16.5"D x 31.75"H, SH 18" Product Type: Dining Chairs